Music Class Today!

July 1, 2015
A young boy is hesitant to join in doing music class. The hipster teacher (who sports an impressive mustache) grabs his guitar and begins to sing. Everyone perks up and is ready to move. Everyone, that is, except the one youngster who would rather sit and watch than sing and dance. He clutches his toy frog (and his mother) even tighter than before. The teacher belts out his repeating refrain: "That's all right, there's no rush. / Whenever you're ready, come play with us!" All kinds of music-class accoutrement are brought out: shakers, scarves, rhythm sticks, and instruments. With each one, the boy becomes more and more curious (and brave). Predictably, he ends up leaping in and never wanting to leave. Weinstone, the founder of Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals-an interactive music class that began in New York City-certainly knows what makes a class tick (or rock). The children in the class are wonderfully diverse, though the protagonist is Caucasian, and Vogel either attended a music class or received copious notes because the mannerisms of the kids are spot-on. They chew on scarves, lose their instruments, kick their shoes across the room, and otherwise make mayhem. The rhymes can seem syrupy and simple, but listen to Weinstone sing the song (available for download from the publisher). It will become addictive. Reassurance for wallflowers everywhere. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2015

PreS-K-A lively group of multicultural children and their adults stream into a brick building for a music class. Their guitar-strumming instructor sits on the floor, welcomes each by name, and sings out different activities including egg shakers, kicking feet, and various rhythm instruments. One boy is initially leery, by soon joins in the fun. Although this is based on Weinstone's franchise "Music for Aardvarks," this could be a scene from a public library program. Children will ask for repeated readings to catch all of the action in Vogel's boldly colored, expressive illustrations. This serves as an engaging model for a group activity along the lines of Anna McQuinn's Leo Loves Baby Time (Charlesbridge, 2014) and Julia Durango's rollicking Cha-Cha Chimps (S. & S., 2006). VERDICT A welcome addition to picture book collections.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Preschool-K Weinstone collaborates with Brazilian artist Vogel to produce a clever adaptation of the wildly popular interactive Music for Aardvarks program. Featuring his song Music Class Today, Weinstone zeroes in on a little boy's first encounter with a music class. His hesitancy to get involved in the activities keeps him near his mother while he intently observes the other children dancing and playing instruments along with the guitar-strumming and singing instructor. Yet the lively lyrics and the children's enthusiastic interactions are so inviting that the little boy ultimately joins in with the others. Vogel complements Weinstone's lyrical text with colorful childlike caricatures that capture the magical and welcoming effects of music not only upon the diverse group of children but also upon one child's inhibitions. Included in Weinstone's debut are full lyrics, a guitar chart, and a website where readers can download his song for free, as well as additional hands-on musical activities. Whether read aloud or as a sing-along, this heartening, playful story is a great addition to music collections for home, school, or library programs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)